Handheld gaming consoles have taken the world by storm as players prefer their compact and lightweight form factor for gaming on the go. These consoles have evolved to become powerful to run the latest AAA titles with ease while still being ergonomic and comfortable enough to enjoy your games for a long time.
This article will tell you about the 7 best handheld gaming consoles available right now.
7 Best Handheld Gaming PC in 2023
1. ASUS ROG Ally
The Asus ROG Ally has emerged as the most powerful handheld console thanks to the 4nm Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor powering it. With 16 GB of DDR5 RAM clocked and 512 GB SSD storage, it can easily rival some of the gaming laptops in its segment.
With its crisp and fluid 7-inch display 120hz display, you will be able to enjoy even competitive titles at high frame rates with your friends. The Armoury Crate software is feature packed and offers a lot of flexibility and customization to finetune the experience according to your liking.
Since Ally runs on Windows 11, you can easily install third-party launchers such as Steam and Epic and run them without any issues. The battery can last upto 2-3 hours on heavy usage and with support fast charging, you can juice it up from 0-50% in just 30 mins.
2. Steam Deck
The Steam Deck is undoubtedly the most popular and affordable alternative to the Ally. Thanks to its cheaper price tag and widespread compatibility, it is accessible to a larger set of audience.
It runs on Steam OS which is based on Linux with an ever-growing list of titles certified for the Deck The Deck also features a 7-inch HD display with a 60hz refresh rate that should work fine for most people.
Similar to the Ally, its runs on a custom-made AMD APU based on the Zen 2 architecture (although it is less powerful than its expensive sibling) coupled with 16 GB of DDR5 RAM. There are 3 storage variants on offer: 64 GB,256 GB and 512 GB which can be expanded further via a Micro SD card. The Deck is the one to pick if you are looking for something that can play casual games without breaking the bank.
3. Aya Neo 2S
This recently launched handheld console is perhaps the most powerful one on this list.It is powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U paired with a dedicated Radeon 780M GPU and 32 GB of DDR5 RAM.
The entire experience is complimented with a gorgeous 7-inch Full-HD display with a peak brightness of 500 nits so you can even play your favourite games outdoors. The Neo 2S is available in three storage variants: 512 GB, 1TB and 2TB which can be further expanded via microSD card so you don’t have to worry about running out of space. Other quirks include a fingerprint sensor, a large 50Wh battery, dual type C ports and full-fledged Windows 11.
4. GPD Win 4
For those who prefer a more compact and ergonomic design, look no further than the GPD Win 4. Weighing a mere 594 grams, it is one of the lightest consoles on this list and its PSP-inspired design makes it easy to carry around.
It also has the smallest display at just 6 inches although it is pretty crisp and sharp thanks to its Full HD resolution. It is powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 CPU with the Radeon R5 GPU which the company claims can outperform the Steam Deck.
The Win 4 is more of a mini laptop instead of a handheld console as it also packs a sliding keyboard that makes it much easier to navigate around the full-fledged version of Windows 11 it is running on. It is available for purchase in 2 storage variants: 1TB and 2TB with both of them having 16 GB of DDR5 RAM.
5. ONEXPLAYER Player 2 Pro
The Player 2 Pro is currently listed for crowdfunding on Indiegogo and is powered by the latest AMD Ryzen 7 7840U and Radeon 780M GPU underneath. This 4nm processor is based on the latest Zen4 architecture and can reach clock speeds of upto 5.1GHz
Another major highlight of the console is its large 8.4-inch display screen with a 2.5K resolution which makes it the sharpest and biggest screen on a handheld. This is paired with 32 GB of DDR5X RAM clocked at 7500 MHz and 1TB or 2TB of SSD storage. Other quirks include Harmonn Kardon tuned stereo speakers, a whopping 65.5 Wh battery, support for eGPU and a full-fledged Windows 11.
6.AyaNeo Air Pro
The Aya Neo Air as the name suggests is another lightweight handheld console and one of the few Windows consoles to pack an OLED display. It is one of the thinnest and lightest consoles at just 21.6mm of thickness and a weight of 394 grams.
You get a crisp 5.5-inch OLED display with 1080p resolution resulting in a pixel density of 404 PPI. Powered by the Ryzen 7 5825U processor with 16 GB of DDR5 RAM making it powerful despite its compact form factor. Other perks include customizable trigger buttons, stereo speakers and replaceable joysticks.
7. Nintendo Switch OLED
No list of handheld consoles can be complete without the inclusion of the iconic Nintendo Switch. Thanks to its exquisite and ever-growing game library, it is the best-selling consoles of all time.
You can enjoy exclusive games like Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Animal Crossing and a lot more. Despite being powered by the aged Nvidia Tegra X1 processor and just 4GB of RAM, it still manages to run games smoothly due to the optimization done by developers.
The OLED version features a 7-inch 720p display with 64 GB of internal storage that can be expanded via microSD card. It weighs approximately 320 grams and 13.6 Wh battery that can last approximately 3-4 hours on a single charge.
ALSO READ: How To Play Switch Games On The Steam Deck [SOLVED]
